Can a bad person be a strong leader? Or is a moral compass necessary for leadership? David Brooks explores it all …

 * … GOODNESS AND POWER: David Brooks is a talented essayist with The New York Times, and he recently posed this question: Can you be a bad person but be a strong leader? His question was

triggered by a recent poll that found 60 percent of independent voters believe Hillary Clinton has strong leadership qualities, yet 61 percent also view her as dishonest and not trustworthy. Brooks conceded that politics is a sharp elbow game, and he did not opine on Hillary herself, but said this:"It is a paradox of politics that people who set out obsessively to succeed in it usually end up sabotaging themselves. They treat each relationship as a transaction and don't generate loyalty. They lose any honest internal voice. After a while they can't accurately perceive themselves or their situation. Sooner or later their Watergate will come."

* … SPOTTED: On a friend's Facebook page was this nugget: "I changed my password everywhere to 'incorrect.' That way when I forget it, it always reminds me, 'Your password is incorrect.'

 * … GOOD FORM: Patricia Chandler gave a shout out to the staff at the recent Western Nationals Hot Rod show. "I just wanted to give five stars to the event staff at the fairgrounds.  Bathrooms were spotless and there wasn't so much as a napkin on the ground the entire weekend. Of course it may be that we hot rodders are exceptionally clean people, but it was uplifting to see people performing a rather thankless job with such pride.  Wish we could hire them for city parks."

 * … BAD FORM: We all love the Westside Parkway, but we don't love the weeds growing in the bark. Said Gary Crabtree:  "I was reflecting on your comments on the Westside Parkway yesterday when I happened on the artist’s renderings of the parkway versus what we actually received was the Westside 'Barkway' and now morphing into the Westside 'Weedway.'"

 * … FUND RAISER: Hats off to Donna Hylton, former executive drector of the Kern Literacy Council, for helping raise $75,000 at the Stockdale Christian School Band Gala. The money will help pay for a band trip to Carnegie Hall. Said Hylton: "There was not one expense for the night--- all the expenses were donated or underwritten by someone. I just wanted to thank the community, parents and Stockdale Christian staff for this wonderful opportunity to help these young musicians."

 * … ACHIEVER: Local veterinarian Cliff Van Kopp. (his son, Sam Van Kopp, is the outstanding young man who recovered from a near fatal injury in Afghanistan) shared this bit of news about Kirsten Scott, daughter of veterinarian Kathy Lehnhard. She is a 2001 graduate of Bakersfield High School and later went on to UC Davis where she was the school's "Woman Graduate of the Year." Then, off to Cambridge University in England and later into the PhD program at Harvard. Recently, he said, "she was awarded her PhD in public health policy. Oh, by the way, she has spent the last nine months in Africa with (husband) John working for the Rwandan Ministry of Health while finishing her dissertation. Kirsten applied to medical schools and was accepted by Harvard, Boston University and Tufts. She will attend Harvard this fall." Interestingly, Kirsten ran in the ill fated Boston Marathon two years ago, finishing a minute or two before the bombs went off. She ran in the marathon again this year, and is now headed back to Rwanda. Not that is what I call a local achiever. And oh, by the way, her brother Gavid Woody, also a Driller, graduated in the top 2 percent of his class from West Point. He left the Army as a captain and later earned and MBA from Stanford.

Is public opinion moving toward banning fireworks? And when will the Bakersfield City Council put public safety over the needs of the non profits who sell fireworks?

 * … FIREWORKS: Until our City Council puts public safety over the needs of the non profits, Bakersfield will continue to endure the danger that both legal and illegal fireworks pose every July Fourth. But it does appear that public opinion appears to be moving in favor of a ban. Take for example Kathy Scott, one reader who has always enjoyed small firework displays in her neighborhood, until recently. "This year our home was rattled with what seemed to be bottle rockets, fireworks setting homes on fire in nearby neighborhoods, and several nights later this is still continuing." Then, her daughter in Indiana called to say her own daughter had been burned by remnants falling from the sky. Kathy's solution? Outlaw home fireworks but provide plenty of venues for controlled displays.

 * … THE MARK: A beautiful new patio with outdoor seating is getting ready to open at The Mark, one of downtown's newer upscale eateries. The restaurant leased a small parking lot next door on19th Street, cordoned it off with New Orleans-style wrought iron, and is installing an outdoor bar and seating. It should open in about a month.

 * … FOOD DEALS: And speaking of local restaurants, the Wall Street Cafe on L Street is now offering 50 percent off all bottles of wine on Wednesdays. And over at Uricchio's Trattoria downtown, they are offering a $6 happy hour artichoke pizza that is outstanding.

 * … HALL OF FAME: Congratulations to Bakersfield's Hal Stewart and Kernville's Paul Mooney for being inducted into the California Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Along with Keith Phelps and Fred Sanders of Southern California, Stewart and Mooney were inducted after last weekend's state championship that was held at the Kern County Gun Club. Stewart worked at KMC as director of pharmacy services for 27.5 years and the last seven years for Kern Health Systems as its corporate pharmacist. Mooney is a broker/owner with Century 21 of Lake Isabella Realty.

* … WATER: If you want some tips on how to deal with the drought, head over to Urner's Appliance Center this Saturday where the Water Association of Kern County and other agencies will be giving out free advice on water saving appliances, landscaping and more. It runs from 9 a.m. to noon.

 * … OUR THIN SKIN: I've been thinking a lot about how our community reacts to criticism (the latest was the salvo from actor Eric Roberts who stayed in town long to determine that we "suck.") It reminded of a recent column by the New York Times' David Brooks in which Brooks - unlike Roberts - catches the nuances of life, community and self esteem. In his words: "People with a crooked timber mentality tend to see life as full of ironies. Intellectual life is ironic because really smart people often do the dumbest things precisely because they are carried away by their own brilliance. Politics is ironic because powerful people make themselves vulnerable because they think they can achieve more than they can. Marriage is ironic because you are trying to build a pure relationship out of people who are ramshackle and mess." And finally Brooks concludes, and this is for you, Eric: "Have you noticed that people from ugly places love their cities more tenaciously than people from beautiful cities?" And that is because happiness is earned through friendships and human kindness, not geography or a view.

A new book titled The End of Men argues it's a woman's world, and remembering the September 11 terrorist attacks that forever changed our world

 * .... WOMAN'S WORLD: A new book called "The End of Men" argues that women are better at adapting to changing world economic conditions than men, and it is getting a lot of press these past few days. While men may still dominate in the board rooms, author Hanna Rosin argues that in a fast changing world, men tend to cling to what they know while women quickly adapt to new conditions. Said the New York Times columnist David Brooks: Over the years many of us have embraced a certain theory to explain men's economic decline," he said."It is that the information age economy rewards traits that, for neurological and cultural reasons, women are more likely to possess." And add to that: the number of women achieving college degrees is far outpacing men.

 * ... 911: Amazing to think it has been 11 years since the terrorist plane hijackings and horrific attack on the World Trade Centers. Do you remember where you were when you learned what happened? Do you remember how we all rallied around our country and you couldn't find an American flag for sale anywhere? It was a time we all came together, save for the occasional odd comment or email like the one composed by a local man saying the attacks were God's way of punishing us for our sins. And speaking of bad form, shame on NBC for failing to honor a moment of silence recognizing the moment of the attacks, opting instead to interview Kris Jenner (of Keeping up with the Kardashians) about her TV show and her breast implants.

 * ... MEMORIAL: Memorial Hospital opened its new Einstein Pavilion this week, honoring the long and distinguished life of Dr. Hans Einstein, who passed away recently at the age of 89. The hospital is on a roll and recently opened its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, allowing ailing children to remain in town instead of traveling hours for treatment. (file photo of Hans Einstein)

 * ... SPOTTED: At the downtown Starbucks on L Street, a very young girl (maybe two years old) accidentally spills her drink, causing a grouchy man next to her to flip off her father. A Bakersfield police officer witnessed this bit of bad form, intervened, handled the situation and everyone moved on.

 * ... SICK BAY: Mike Marotta, co-owner of the physical therapy group Pair and Marotta, was involved in a nasty bicycle crash during a race last Sunday in Bend, Oregon. He broke his right clavicle and pelvis and underwent surgery. Marotta is a state cycling champion in his age group, an incredible athlete, and was racing in the 60-plus age division.

 * ... DEBATE: When Joe Biden and Paul Ryan square off for the vice president's debate on October 11, there will be a local girl helping coordinate things at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Avery Williams, a Stockdale High graduate who is now a sophomore at Centre College, will be serving as an official volunteer for the debate. Proud mother Cindy Williams told me she is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and is a representative on the Academic Excellence Committee. Father Scott Williams works for Chevron and mother Cindy is a teacher for the Panama Buena-Vista Unified School District.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A local business executive is speaking to a friend about the number of jaywalkers in our community. "Yesterday I almost ran a guy down who was walking across Golden State Highway. And at the Garces Circle a mother with young children and a stroller were dodging traffic. It's everywhere."

Washington fiddles while the debt bomb ticks. Is it any wonder why we hold politicians in such low esteem?

 * ... GRIDLOCK: Watching the gridlock, posturing and grandstanding in Washington over the debt crisis leaves little doubt why politicians are held in such low esteem. David Brooks, a conservative columnist for The New York Times, wrote Tuesday that Republicans had missed what could have been a "glorious moment in Republican history" by rejecting President Obama's overtures for a $4 trillion debt deal and failing to reach a compromise. Likewise, the Wall Street Journal's Gerald F. Seib added that the failure of both sides to reach a compromise reflected the "general selfishness... and self destructiveness of politicians." Both Brooks and Seib predicted the result would be a legislative maneuver that would simply "kick the (debt) can down the road" while accomplishing very little. (file photo of David Brooks)

 * ... THE PORCH: If you are looking for something new and fun to do then stop by the Bakersfield Museum of Art Thursday evening for its Porch Story Slam. The concept is simple: folks gather at the museum, a "topic" for an oral short story is posted, and people volunteer to tell their own story in front of the crowd. Some are humorous, some sad, some poignant, but it all makes for a grand evening. The show gets under way at 7 p.m. and dovetails with the Third Thursday festivities at Central Park.

 * ... DIVERSITY: If you question how diversified our community is, consider this note from Matt Revenaugh. "The intersection of Chester Lane and  Oak Street is a microcosm of the American and Californian dream. On the west there is Village Auto Sales, proudly owned by what is sure a Palestinian-American family. On the east is Ralene's Filipino cuisine, Saigon Restaurant, The Empty Space and now the Irish Heritage Club. North of the intersection are another dozen businesses all owned by a different shade of the human skin. When people ask how Bakersfield is special, I want to show them it's where people from everywhere wave and call each other neighbor."

 * ... ALZHEIMER: Sandy Morris wrote to correct an earlier post on the local alzheimer's disease association holding a fund raiser. It was actually the Central Coast chapter that I wrote about, not the Alzheimer's Association of Kern County, which holds its own golf tournament to support local programs to combat the illness. Sandy said the difference was that money raised by the Kern County group stays here, while the Central Coast chapter sends part of its funds to the national organization for research. The local group is holding its golf tournament on September 9. Stay tuned for more details.

 * ... MEMORIES: Eighty-two year old reader Robert Hall submitted some of his memories of our town. Among them: "... the Powell truck assembly plant on Union Avenue, the Wimpy's Liquor Store at 34th and Chester Avenue, the Mosrite Guitar Factory south of Truxtun Avenue and west of Q Street, Mother's Bakery on Baker Street, Owens Toy Store on 19th and L streets an d the Bakersfield Hospital on 19th Street across from Central Park." 

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Sue Castro: "You might be a Bakersfield newcomer if you don't remember when sheep were herded down Calloway Drive from the pastures off 7th Standard Road.  What a great experience to be behind hundreds of baa-ing sheep, watching the herd dogs do their jobs. It was a regular occurence until around 2003.  Those were the days."


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